The iPhone 15 Pro could be the phone that signals the beginning of Apple’s nightmare button-free world. The iconic Apple iPhone design has continually been refined over the years to bring us closer to Apple’s dream of a solid sheet of glass with no additional adornments. Apple’s attempts to bring us ever closer to this goal has been fraught with notions of buttons becoming a thing of the past with the iPhone 15 Pro representing the first time this could be a reality.
This minimalist idea has its supporters, many of whom enjoy the almost magical feeling of interacting with the phone through touchscreen manipulation. However, those who are less able to accurately use these buttons due to physical differences may be excluded from using the phone as it is currently designed. Not only this, but there is also the potential for a confusing user experience without the benefit of a back button to ease a user back to where they previously were when making a mistake.
Due to Apple’s history of innovation, many fear the iPhone 15 Pro could cause a ripple effect of brands following suit and getting rid of physical buttons in favour of apps that have hundreds of virtual buttons, which can be difficult to differentiate, and lack of functionality when pressing the wrong one. The decision to drop the 3.5mm headphone port with the iPhone 7, as well as rumours of them dropping ports entirely rid of ports in the future, is an example of the things that users have grown accustomed to losing due to Apple continually pushing its design aspirations. It could be argued that buttons are essential to the usability of the iPhone and that dropping the power and volume rockers, as well as the mute switch, instead of adding more could create a bad user experience.
Apple is a world-renowned technology company that is best known for its array of award-winning devices such as the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Founded in 1976 in Cupertino, California by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has grown to become one of the world’s leading technology players, with billions of customers across the globe using its products and services.
Steven Paul Jobs was an American entrepreneur, business magnate, and investor who is widely regarded as one of the most inventive and influential entrepreneurs of all time. He is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc., the world’s leading consumer electronics company. Before his time at Apple, Jobs had already left his mark on computing during his time at the Xerox Parc research facility, where he assisted in the development of the world’s first commercial personal computer. Of course, many of the products he is most associated with, such as the iPod and iPhone, wouldn’t be what they are today without his innovative vision. A true genius, Jobs was inducted into the California Technology Hall of Fame in 1990.
